


Lockbox

by TheShebinator



Category: Homestar Runner
Genre: Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Secrets That I Keep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:48:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26978377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShebinator/pseuds/TheShebinator
Summary: Happy Strong Sad Day! I've been writing this off and on for...a year? I saw this entry for HSRtober (https://ingramjinkins.tumblr.com/post/631769612919406592/homestartober-day-12-strong-sad-day) and thought "I should finish that one fic!".Enjoy some catharsis you'll NEVER get in canon, folks!
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	Lockbox

_Knock knock knock._

Strong Sad looked up from his desk and right away felt like something was off. Nobody knocked in the House of Strong. Strong Sad was almost convinced it was a burglar until he realized it would be just as weird for a burglar to knock. 

_Knock knock knock._

Strong Sad eyed the door warily. 

“Uh...who’s there?” 

“It’s Strong Bad,” said Strong Bad from the other side. Strong Sad was even more confused and a little worried now. Of all people, Strong Bad would be the last person ever to knock politely. Barging in and delivering a swift punch to the stomach without a word was more the middle Strong brother's style. 

“Uhm…” Strong Sad murmured, still sorting out the situation in his head. “Come in, I guess.” 

Strong Bad pushed open the door but stayed put in the doorway. He didn't look Strong Sad in the eye. To Strong Sad, it looked like his brother had just now forgotten what he’d come for. 

“Did you need something?” Strong Sad prompted. It came out a little harsher than he intended, but he really just wanted whatever pummeling that was inevitable to be over with. 

Strong Bad looked up, eyes looking everywhere that wasn't Strong Sad. His eyes finally landed beneath Strong Sad’s bed and he took an awkward step back. The starts of sentences tumbled out of his mouth as he searched for something to say. All the while, his hands vaguely gestured to under the bed. After mumbling and fumbling for a second, the sentence that finally formed was: 

“I saw.” 

“You saw?” 

Strong Bad sighed. “Yeah, I did.” 

Saw? Saw what? There wasn't anything of interest Strong Bad hadn't already poked fun at except- 

Uh oh. 

Strong Sad’s heart dropped. He waited for the incoming insults, but his brother was still staring awkwardly at him. If Strong Sad didn't know better, he almost looked a bit defeated. He had fallen silent again, eyes downcast. It wasn't like him. 

Still, Strong Sad was convinced he was working up some really good material to hit him with. It was something his brother would do: act despondent like this to build up a “gotcha!” moment and wallop Strong Sad in the jaw. And, normally, Strong Sad would be resolved to that. Only this time it felt different. This particular breach of privacy was worse than the multitudes of others Strong Bad was prone to. Strong Sad stood up from his desk. 

“Well, let’s hear it,” he said flatly. “Make it quick. I'm working on something.” 

Strong Bad was still quiet, and Strong Sad was getting tired of him dragging this out. 

“What? Are you so wrapt with hilarity that you can't even laugh? Is this some kind of laughter catatonia? What is it?” 

Strong Bad put his hands up defensively. “No, it’s not like-” 

“No, please, let me help you,” Strong Sad went on, advancing on his brother. “ _Wow, Strong Sad, I can't believe you kept all that crap for all these years! I always knew you were sentimental and all that, but this is just downright pathetic! It's creepily obsessive even! Can’t you just move on? Can't you just accept that we aren't kids anymore and just get a hobby or something? A hobby less depressing? Oh, wait! Depressing is just your M.O., isn't it?_ ” Strong Sad had backed his brother almost all the way down the hallway. On “isn't it?” Strong Sad had jabbed Strong Bad sharply in the chest with a finger. Strong Bad choked out a few incomplete words in his defense, but Strong Sad only loomed farther in, an uncharacteristically angry expression on his face. 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Strong Sad growled sarcastically. “Did I take the words right out of your mouth?” 

Strong Bad looked down at the finger still jammed in his chest for a second, then pushed Strong Sad’s arm away in frustration. 

“I knew you’d be like this. Just...nevermind, okay?” 

He pushed past his larger brother and stormed off. Strong Sad went after him. 

“Be like what? I’m just stating the obvious. Don't you think after years of this I wouldn't notice a pattern?” 

Strong Bad whirled on him. “Geez, I came up here to say sorry or something, okay?!” 

Strong Sad folded his arms. “I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Strong Bad.” 

Strong Bad groaned angrily. “You’re making this so much harder than it has to be!” 

“I’m making it hard?” Strong Sad snarled around bared teeth. He was suddenly very aware of his own size and was doubly so of how much bigger he was than his brother. He had successfully backed Strong Bad into a corner, literally, and he wasn’t about to let Strong Bad miss out on the irony. How many times had this been the other way around? How many times, regardless of how much bigger Strong Sad was, did Strong Bad use their oldest brother to trap him in his room? How many times was it where the only way out was to let the abuse come and just bare it? 

Now, it was different. 

“I don’t do anything to you!” Strong Sad finally said, looming his full height over Strong Bad. “I’m just...here! Existing! And you guys think it’s funny or something to beat me up, destroy my things, and spread general misery! And after all that, you think you can just come slinking back here and say sorry and think that’s all it’s gonna be!?” He grabbed Strong Bad by his shoulders, not sure whether he intended to squeeze or shake him. In reality, Strong Bad wasn’t that hard to break physically. Without Strong Mad’s strength backing him up, Strong Bad only had words. Well, Strong Sad had both. 

“You STARTED this by making it hard!” Strong Sad shouted. “You could have, at any point, slowed your role or something, but you just kept going! What if it’s too late, huh!? Wh-what if I never kept all your stupid stuff? I can get rid of it whenever I want!” Strong Bad seemed to momentarily regain his voice. “Why don’t you then?!” He retorted, but it was a weak threat. 

Strong Sad thought for a moment then dropped Strong Bad to the floor. He stomped back into his room and snatched the keepsake box from under the bed. He reentered the hallway, grabbed the first thing his hand met with in the box -the snow globe- and threw it at Strong Bad. His brother ducked just in time and the knick knack shattered against the wall. Strong Sad dumped the rest of the box on the floor and kicked the box itself. It felt good to see Strong Bad do the cowering for once. Or, it was supposed to feel good. Maybe he hadn’t destroyed enough yet. 

Strong Sad swiped the old birthday card from the floor and crumpled both sides in his hands, ready to tear it in half. His mind screamed that this would hurt Strong Bad, and he wanted it to. But, he only made one small tear in the seam before he couldn’t go any further. His anger was slowly dying, and he was struggling to get it back. Strong Sad wanted to be angry, he wanted to keep this sudden streak of violence, and he couldn’t even tear a freaking piece of paper. 

Strong Bad eyed him like you’d watch an angry bear. This was a side no one had ever seen from the youngest Strong. Strong Sad thought that maybe it would be satisfying. He had fantasized about finally taking his fury out in some public form, especially where his family could see it. No one would expect it; acting out in anger was always Strong Bad’s thing- 

It was Strong Bad’s thing. 

Strong Sad loosened his grip on the card, fumbling in vain to smooth the creases, but only dropped it. He settled for trying to gather the other items off the floor, but he kept dropping them again. His vision swam and he couldn't blink enough to fix it. His throat burned, his hands shook more than usual. 

He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be the new aggressor. He didn’t want to scare or hurt anyone, not even Strong Bad. He just wanted to be left alone with the scraps of a better time. Strong Sad knew one day his brother might shatter that escape, but he hoped it would never come.In a way, it hadn’t. It wasn’t Strong Bad who had tore open the box and scattered its contents. It wasn’t Strong Bad who had tried to destroy anything. In fact, it was Strong Bad who left the box undisturbed when he found it. It was Strong Sad who decided to go and throw it around. Strong Sad had dug his own grave. He wasn’t any better than Strong Bad, now. 

The box skidded across the floor and stopped short of Strong Sad’s feet. The latter looked up to see his brother cautiously approaching, the base of the broken snow globe in his gloves. He wordlessly dropped the snow globe base into the box, then grabbed the film reel and did the same. Strong Sad couldn’t bring himself to move, he was too afraid. When Strong Bad got to the picture frame, he didn’t put it back right away. He stared at it for several agonizing seconds with a furrowed brow. It almost looked like he was angry until he heaved a huge sigh and handed the photo back to Strong Sad. The frame was broken. 

Strong Bad had his arms folded, but it wasn’t his usual way of being sarcastic. It was more like he was trying to hide. It didn’t stop his shoulders from visibly shaking. 

Strong Sad couldn’t do anything about it. He was trying, and failing spectacularly, not to cry himself. He rubbed his temple nervously and looked away, somehow managing a laugh. 

“It’s dumb, isn’t it?” He choked. “Keeping all this. I-I don’t blame you for being so weirded out by it-“ 

Strong Sad was interrupted by a sudden sniffle. Strong Bad had one glove covering his face. What was sniffling became strained sobs and whimpers through clenched teeth. 

That was it for Strong Sad. Haltingly, and then all at once, swept Strong Bad into a tight hug. Strong Bad was only momentarily stunned before clinging to his baby brother. 

Strong Sad couldn’t remember the last time he cried. Like, _really_ cried. His brand of sadness was usually numb apathy. He wasn’t used to the wracking sobs, the onslaught of tears, the overall loss of control. It was scary, especially in front of his older brother. At least Strong Bad wasn’t in any better shape. 

Strong Sad didn’t know if all this would really change anything. If he knew anything about his brother, he’d probably lie his way into forgetting about it. But, right now, it didn’t matter. 

**Author's Note:**

> This was brought to you by "stuff I write periodically while I'm at work on my phone and even though I proofread I still miss stuff"


End file.
